


Crescendo

by herrDoktorat



Category: Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24513970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herrDoktorat/pseuds/herrDoktorat
Summary: In their search for a greater understanding of magic, Palom and Leonora visit Damcyan Castle, hoping to learn more about King Edward's music.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Crescendo

Damcyan Castle was more colorful and lively than Palom remembered. Enormous fabrics hung from the castle walls in Damcyan's colors, gold and pink. Flower beds lay throughout every open area, their petals swaying gracefully in the wind. Palom noticed whisperweed sprinkled throughout the arrangements, carrying the faraway laughter of children.

Even for a grump like him, it was a beautiful sound.

"Lord Palom! Lady Leonora!" said one of the guards coming to greet them. Immediately both of them objected to the titles, but the guard paid it no mind and proceeded to salute them.

Palom was annoyed already.

"Welcome to Damcyan," the guard said, oblivious to his displeasure. In fact, he was beaming, seeming genuinely happy to see them. Palom couldn't imagine why.

"Thank you," said Leonora, bowing her head politely. "Um, we're sorry to drop in unannounced."

"Yeah, yeah," Palom said, interrupting what would undoubtedly become an insufferable exchange of meaningless pleasantries. "Listen, is Edward in? We gotta ask him something."

Leonora bumped into him, but Palom pretended not to notice. Instead, he focused on the guard, who, somewhat unexpectedly, seemed unfazed by his briskness.

"I can certainly relay your wishes. Please, follow me!" he said, and then... _skipped_ towards the castle. This guard was too happy for his own good.

"Palom, don't be rude!" Leonora whispered to him as they walked.

"Oh, learn to have some fun, will you," he replied.

"No! If you won't be serious, then we're leaving. King Edward is probably busy with the reconstruction efforts."

"Bet you 10 gil he's playing his harp."

"Wh-What?!"

Palom smirked at her. "C'mon, are you taking the bet or not?"

Leonora looked like she didn't know whether to feel offended or laugh. Eventually, she just rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said, "but if you're wrong, then you have to be respectful! Deal?"

"Deal."

This was an easy win. Every other time he'd met Edward, the guy had been playing the same sad song on that harp. In fact, that was half the reason they were even there. Palom followed the guard the rest of the way without complaints.

Damcyan Castle was unusual in that it was both a castle and a settlement of sorts, housing several families within its walls. Palom had always found the arrangement a bit confusing. For starters, the children all slept together, in a room directly below the secretary's quarters. He knew this because it was where he and Porom had been instructed to sleep whenever they visited. As far as he could tell, none of them were related, not to each other, and definitely not to the crown, but they acted like siblings anyway. Some of them were war orphans, he knew, but most still had their parents working around the castle.

That was the other thing. Their parents didn't seem to work for Edward, not directly. They were butchers, farmers, merchants who exported their goods all over Damcyan, but none of them worked for the crown, making it seem more like a village than a castle, which would make Edward a chieftain rather than a king. Apparently it had to do with Damcyan's roots as a merchant hub, but the specifics all went over Palom's head. Still, he had to admit: this castle was more welcoming and comfortable than the cold walls of Baron.

Eventually they reached a door which Palom remembered led to a room adjacent to the throne room. The guard excused himself for a moment and went inside, leaving Palom and Leonora to their devices.

Leonora was the first to speak.

"I don't hear any music," she said, sounding almost giddy.

"Maybe it's not sad harp hours," Palom said sarcastically, but he was a little weirded out. Edward really was always playing his music whenever they visited. More than once, they'd had to wait until he finished to speak with him, because he'd instructed the guards not to let anyone in.

Reluctantly, he fished a 10 gil coin out of his pocket and flinged it to Leonora, who fumbled a bit before securing it with both hands, looking very pleased with herself. Soon afterwards, the guard came back.

"Secretary Harley is waiting for you inside. Please, follow me!"

"Thanks," Palom said, eliciting a reaction from both the guard and Leonora, though what the reaction was he couldn't say, since he was looking away. He promised to be respectful, didn't he?

After what he presumed was a moment of stunned silence, the guard led them inside the room. Harley was sitting behind a large desk, pouring over a lengthy scroll and pausing every few seconds to write something on a ledger. Palom didn't need a closer look to know it was finances. Edward liked to stretch Damcyan thin helping other countries. It was an open secret that their ledgers were always in the red, yet somehow the kingdom remained afloat. Palom suspected they were looking at the reason why.

Though they'd fought side by side, Palom couldn't shake his initial impression of Harley from nearly fifteen years ago, which was that of a strict librarian. With her tiny glasses, tied up hair and dead serious expression, it seemed like she would scold them if they let out so much as a peep, and he was sure Leonora felt the same way given her fidgeting. Fortunately for them, it didn't take long for Harley to speak up.

"Greetings," she said, not taking her eyes off the scroll. "My apologies for the rude welcome, but this is a busy time for Damcyan. His Highness is currently meeting with some foreign dignitaries, and I must finish this before they leave."

Palom held back a remark about how his secretary should probably be in the meeting with him. "That's fine," he said instead. "We're just here to ask him a question. It's not urgent or anything."

"S-Sorry to bother you when you're so busy," Leonora felt the need to say. Palom rolled his eyes.

"Please, it's no bother," Harley said, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "I only wish we could better receive you."

"You know we don't care about that," Palom said, though he guessed that she did know, hence why she felt she could keep working while talking to them. Harley sent him a brief but grateful smile, confirming his suspicions.

"Feel free to explore the castle in the meantime," she said. "Though it must be old news for you by now, Lord Palom."

"The only thing that's old news is you calling me that 'lord' stuff. Drop it, will you?"

"Oh? I seem to recall you being quite fond of it as a child," Harley replied, her tone playful.

Palom felt his face heat up. "That was a long time ago," he mumbled, looking away from her.

"What does she mean, Palom?" asked Leonora. "A-About it being old news for you," she added.

"I came here lots of times with Porom. Most of the time on sage training. It's been a while now though."

He was 11 the last time they slept over. Palom remembered feeling insulted because they were there as envoys of Mysidia for once, yet were still being forced to sleep with the children. Porom whacked his head when he tried to complain though.

For some reason, his memories of that night were vivid. Porom was fast asleep, exhausted from the desert travel, but he was wide awake and talking up some boy, dazzling him with stories of his exploits, though frankly none of them were as exciting as the ones from his travels with Cecil. Still, they seemed good enough for the boy, whose dimpled smile was enough to keep Palom going for hours. There was a knock on the door...

There was a knock on the door in the present too, he realized. The very same door, in fact, the one that led to the children's room, though now he was hearing it from the opposite side. Harley gestured for the guard to open it. Palom had completely forgotten he was even there.

On the other side were three children, two girls and one boy, holding something behind their backs.

"What is it?" asked Harley, and though she kept her eyes on the scroll, there was a kindness in her voice.

One of the girls spoke up. "Um, we saw... from the window..." she trailed off.

Harley did look up then, though only briefly. "Ah," she said. "Lord Palom. Lady Leonora. Would you mind entertaining them for a minute?"

"Uh," Palom said smartly, but Leonora came to his rescue.

"O-Of course! We'd love to," she said. It wasn't true in the least, but what they didn't know couldn't hurt them, right?

The girls immediately flocked to Leonora, while the boy came to Palom, who in turn stared at him like he would a creature from the moon. Any moon.

"Yeah?" Palom asked.

The boy hemmed and hawed a little bit before giving up and just taking out what he was hiding behind his back: flowers. An arrangement of flowers, to be precise.

"For me?" Palom asked, just to be sure.

The boy nodded, blushing a furious shade of red. In the background, the girls were fussing over how pretty Leonora apparently was, but Palom barely noticed. This boy was giving him flowers? Why? Did someone put him up to it?

The guard was staring at them with an amused smile on his face.

"Thanks," Palom managed to say. "Are you sure you don't wanna give these to her though?" he asked, motioning to Leonora.

"N-No!" the boy said. "They're for you."

Palom stared at the flowers. Milky white whisperweed blooms for the most part. In the middle, a single wild rose, bright red.

"...Like your brooch," he heard the boy mumble.

Surprised, Palom lifted the amulet he carried with him everywhere. It was a gift from his mother, or so he had been told. Porom carried a similar one. They were a pair of gemstones—hers was bright green, while his was a deep shade of red, set on a silver cast. Though it was important to him, Palom couldn't say he thought about the amulet a whole lot. So people noticed that kind of stuff?

"Who made this?" he asked.

"I-I did," the boy replied.

"Wow. And your friend said you saw us from the window? You got pretty good eyesight."

The boy brightened up right away. "Th-Thanks, sir!"

Palom waved the honorific away like he would a fly. "No need to call me that," he said emphatically. "What's your name?"

"Paul."

"Good job, Paul."

That was more than most people got with him, but Paul was still looking up at him like he expected something. Palom just had no idea what. He turned to Leonora for help, only to find her too engrossed in her talk with the girls, and he knew without even looking that Harley would still have her nose buried in that scroll. With no other choice, Palom did the only thing he could think of, which was... well... head pats.

It was the most awkward experience of his life.

Paul leaned into his touch though, looking for all the world like he wouldn't trade that for anything else, and when Palom let go, the boy smiled so brightly at him that it made him think that maybe that sort of thing was ok once in a while.

Harley shooed the kids away a little after that.

"I hope that wasn't too much trouble," she said, once the guard closed the door.

"No, not at all," said Leonora, holding flowers in both hands. Palom noticed the arrangements weren't as clever as the one Paul had made for him.

"You better be grateful," he said, but his heart wasn't in it, and Leonora noticed.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "I thought you'd be complaining more."

"I promised to be respectful, didn't I?"

Leonora shook her head. "That's not it," she said.

Palom sighed. "I just don't get it," he said, staring at the flowers. "Why give this to me? I didn't do anything."

"Truly? The Black Mage of Mysidia, feeling undeserving of a gift?" Harley said. Palom couldn't detect even a hint of sarcasm in her voice. It was almost like she was surprised for real. "I never expected to see the day."

"This really isn't like you," Leonora said.

"I guess not," he admitted. "I guess... I'm really not suited for this after all."

"For what?"

"Being a sage."

"Wh-What? Why not?!"

"C'mon, Leonora. Just look at me. That took ten years off my life. Can you imagine me humoring kids like that all the time? Lending an ear to people's troubles?"

"I can," she said, and with such conviction that it shook him, "but even if you couldn't, so what?"

"So what? Nobody would ever appoint me to be sage. I'm nothing like you or Tellah. I'm... me."

Leonora shook her head, but said nothing. That's when Harley piped in.

"Sage Tellah was hardly a saint, you know," she said.

"What? The old man was great!"

"By all accounts he was abrasive, crass, and quick to anger. Did he not chase King Edward halfway across the continent, and later tried to kill him?"

"That was just because he was grieving Anna! He wasn't like that all the time."

"Neither are you."

"No, you're wrong. This is me we're talking about. The old man did great things, it doesn't matter if he had a temper. Stop trying to put him down just to make me feel better."

"Palom..." Leonora sighed.

"There's no denying that he helped a great deal of people with his powers," said Harley, "but do you know of his journey?"

"...A little bit. Porom told me about it. The old man and the Elder traveled the world together using their magic to help everyone, right?"

"Correct, but helping people wasn't their goal. Sage Tellah and the previous Elder of Mysidia both wanted to unravel the deepest secrets of magic. They departed Mysidia in pursuit of power."

Harley carefully rolled up the scroll and took a deep breath before continuing.

"One day, Sage Tellah unleashed a terrifying spell, well beyond his ability to control, and it injured a lot of people. Tellah gave it all up after that. He moved to Kaipo, where nobody knew about him, and lived a quiet life."

Palom scrunched up his face. "That's not how Porom put it..." he said.

"I am told not even Anna knew about his past."

"Told? By whom? How do you know all this? I did my research, you know. I went to all the places he visited, and read all the books about him."

"D-Did you talk to anyone?" Leonora asked.

"What?"

"When you retraced his steps," she clarified. "Did you talk to the townspeople about him?"

"Well... no. Why should I have?"

"There's a lot they don't put in the books," Harley said simply.

"What are you two trying to say? That the old man wasn't as great as we all think?"

"No, not at all," said Harley, at the same time that Leonora shrieked "N-No!"

Harley adjusted her glasses. "I think he was a wonderful person."

"Then what?!" Palom challenged.

"Palom... he was human," said Leonora. "The way you and Porom talk about him, you make it sound like he spent every waking moment thinking of ways his magic could benefit the world, but that's simply not true."

Harley nodded. "Sage Tellah embarked on a quest for power," she said. "I am not privy to the details, but he seemed interested in ancient magical seals and artifacts from the moon. Of course, he helped many people along the way, but he made mistakes that cost lives, and eventually gave it all up. Even when he aided King Cecil, he had his own goals. Retrieving his daughter at first, then avenging her."

"I don't understand."

Leonora squeezed his hand reassuringly, knowing how hard it was for him to say those words. "It's true that being a sage isn't simply about mastering both Black and White Magic..." she started.

"...but neither it is solely about working for the sake of the world," Harley finished.

Palom was silent for a long time after that. Eventually, three pompous men walked out of the throne room. Harley bowed to them politely and exchanged pleasantries before going into the throne room herself, and two guards escorted them away, the one from earlier sending Palom one final sympathetic look.

"You really think I can become a sage?" he eventually asked.

"I know you can," Leonora replied, and he knew she meant it.

"That'd make us rivals instead of partners."

"Who says we can't be both? Who says there can't be _two_ sages? That's what you and Porom intended to become at first, right?"

"How'd you know that?" Palom asked, surprised. Porom had never told anyone about that, he was sure of it, but Leonora just shrugged. Maybe it was obvious? Maybe… maybe everyone else was paying attention too. "Eh, whatever. Thanks for the pep talk."

"You're welcome," Leonora said cheerily.

Harley came out of the throne room then. "King Edward is ready to see you."

"I almost forgot we were here to see him," Palom admitted, earning a chuckle from the secretary.

"What do we do with these flowers?" Leonora asked. "We probably shouldn't meet the king while holding them."

Palom waved his staff and bubbled all three flower arrangements, leaving some water on the bottom for them to drink.

"Easy peasy," he said.

Leonora blinked in surprise.

"How... What spell was that?"

"Oh. I never taught you this one, did I? It's 'Water.' I don't use it much, but there you have it."

"I didn't think there was water elemental magic..."

"Of course there is. Mysidia guards the Water Crystal, remember? There's always magic tied to the crystals and their elements."

"I suppose. I just never heard of anyone using water or wind spells."

"Tornado is a wind spell," Palom reminded her, "but you're right, they're not something you see everyday. I developed Water after fighting Cagnazzo, that turtle guy we met on the moon. After fighting him the first time, I mean, way back when he was posing as the king of Baron."

"I remember him... he flooded the battlefield on a whim! I'd never have thought to develop anything from that."

Palom shrugged. "It made an impression. I had a lot of time to think about it, being turned to stone and all."

Harley cleared her throat. "The king," she said. Her tone would have sent chills down his spine if he weren't so used to it. It worked on Leonora though.

"S-Sorry!" she squeaked, and without further ado they went into the throne room, the flower bubbles quietly following behind them, bobbing up and down in the air.

The throne room was a subdued affair compared to the rest of the castle. The carpet had the Damcyan coat of arms—a golden harp surrounded by pink flowers—emblazoned on it, but other than that even the throne seemed unimpressive. Edward wasn't even sitting in it, choosing instead a big maroon rug next to a pillar.

"My friends!" Edward said as soon as he saw them. "On behalf of my kingdom, I welcome you to Damcyan."

"Your Majesty," said Leonora after a curtsy.

"Hey," said Palom after picking his ear.

"Palom!" shrieked Leonora, scandalized, but Edward just let out a hearty laugh, the likes of which Palom had never heard from him before.

"Come sit!" Edward said. "I am told you have a question to ask me. I hope you did not have to wait long."

"What was that all about anyway?" Palom asked, plopping down by his side without fuss.

"Business," Edward said, rolling his eyes. “An unpleasant consequence of sovereignty, though this one promises good tidings. Harley?”

“I delivered the ledgers as you instructed, Your Highness. Their reactions were promising.”

“Excellent. I apologize for placing such a burden on you, but an airship route between here and Kaipo would be extremely beneficial.”

“An airship route?” Palom interjected. “Where did you guys get an airship?”  
  
“We haven’t, not yet, but Cid has provided us with designs we can use. Unfortunately, we are quite low on resources, hence why we needed to convince those gentlemen to fund the project.”

“Who were they?”

“Merchants from Baron. They wanted reassurance that our relationship would be a profitable one.” Edward sighed. “To think, even after our lands were beset by meteorites, people would still prioritize profit above all else.”

“I believe we handled the matter most deftly, Your Highness,” said Harley, looking just a little bit proud.

“That we did, in no small part thanks to you, Harley. But enough about business. What is it you two wanted to ask me?”

“It’s about your magic,” Palom said.

“My magic?” Edward repeated, nonplussed.

“Your music has the power to calm down monsters, right? And then there’s all the stuff you do to us in battle. I wanna know how it works.”

“We’re researching different kinds of magic,” Leonora added helpfully.

“I see. Would you like me to play for you, then? I don’t know any other way to demonstrate my ‘magic,’ as you call it.”

“Yeah, play us a jaunty tune or something,” Palom said.

“W-Wait,” Leonora said. “Your Majesty doesn’t think it’s magic?”

“Truth be told, I have never given it much thought,” Edward admitted. “My family gained sovereignty because of this power, so your theory may hold some merit. I simply never had any cause to think of it as magic.”

“It’s a fascinating line of thought,” said Harley. “I have often wondered why your music affects our hearts so, Your Highness.”

“In that case…” Edward turned to one of his royal guards. “Will you bring the children here? They often ask me to play, but I haven’t had the time lately.”

The guard nodded and went to fetch them, while Palom groaned.  
  
“Hm? Is something the matter?” Edward asked.

“Not really,” Palom replied tiredly. That’s when Edward noticed the flowers floating behind them.

“Ah,” he said. His eyes lingered on the wild rose. "That's a lovely arrangement. Paul made that?"

"What, is he some kinda flower prodigy or something?" Palom asked, only half joking. Truth be told, he was still thinking about how the boy had noticed such a minute detail about him and made a flower arrangement out of that. It wasn't magic, but it was special all the same.

Before he could get a reply, the doors to the throne room opened behind him. The guard was back, and with him a gaggle of children. Palom didn't even try to count how many. Paul and the two girls from earlier were among them. Fortunately, none of them seemed to be holding any flowers this time.

Palom expected the children to sit obediently before their king. Instead they all started running the moment the saw Edward, piling on him like a pack of goblins, their laughter threatening to swallow them all. Edward was laughing too, but he was obviously overwhelmed.

"Settle down," Harley ordered, and the kids immediately obeyed, forming a circle around him.

"Oooh, scary," Palom joked, smiling at the secretary.

"Don't test me, Lord Palom," she replied, adjusting her glasses. Palom suspected she only did it to hide her own smile.

The kids immediately erupted into gossip.

"Lord Palom?"

"The mage?"

"The one from Mysidia?"

"I thought he'd be taller."

"Who's that pretty lady with him?"

"Look!"

"The flowers..."

"They're floating!"

Leonora scooted closer to Palom. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves to them?" she whispered.

"Maybe we should gun it outta here," he replied, deadpan.

"My children," Edward called once he regained his bearings. Though not as quickly as when Harley had spoken, the kids quieted down. Edward didn't seem to mind the delay. "Listen well, for two friends have come to visit us today. Of course, some of you have already met them, and most of you have already heard of them."

Being introduced by a king to a bunch of kids was not how Palom expected his day to go.

"Palom, the Elder of Mysidia…"

"Ugh. I told Porom we needed to come up with a new title."

"...and Leonora, former Epopt of Troia."

"For all of five minutes."

"Palom!" Leonora chided, but they both heard giggling from the children. Edward was struggling not to laugh himself.

"Our friends requested that I play a song," Edward continued, before the room could erupt into laughter. That part was a success. Unfortunately for him, they erupted into cheers instead. 

Yeah, maybe inviting them all into the throne room wasn't such a bright idea… and yet, Edward looked happier now than Palom had ever seen him.

"It suits him," Palom said while Harley tried to calm the children down.

"What does?" Leonora asked.

"That smile," he replied.

Leonora looked at the king for a few moments before turning back to Palom.

"Not just him," she said.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Look, he's going to start playing."

For the next hour or so, Edward played ballad after ballad on his harp, not one of them sad. Palom watched the whole thing closely, being caught by surprise only when Edward started singing. Palom had never heard him sing before. For a man in his forties, he sure had some pipes.

Throughout the whole thing, Palom didn't feel even a smidgen of magical energy in the room, yet the effect that music had, even on him, was undeniable. Paul had come sit next to him, and Palom found himself so relaxed that he stroked the boy's hair without even noticing it. Harley looked completely entranced, like she had been transported to another world. Palom barely recognized her without the glasses. Near the end, they all joined in for a hymn, even shy Leonora, side by side with the two girls that had given her flowers.

Later that day, Palom decided that maybe the magic of Damcyan couldn't be measured by Mysidian eyes, but just like the flowers that little boy had given him, it was special all the same.

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

"Must you really leave so soon?" Edward asked for what must have been the third time.

Palom scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry," he said, also for the third time, and he meant it too. Paul had cried his eyes out when he found out Palom was leaving, and he didn’t like being responsible for that sort of thing.

“We asked Rydia to take us to the Feymarch,” Leonora explained.

“I tried in the past, but they wouldn’t let me in,” Palom added. “I guess something's changed though, because she said it was ok this time.”

“Cid agreed to lend us the Enterprise for the trip, but he’s been busy with the relief efforts, so we have to go to Baron ourselves to get it."

"Rydia is probably already there.”

Edward looked more than a little disappointed.

“Feymarch, the Land of Summons,” Harley murmured. “I would love to see it with my own eyes someday.”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Palom asked, but Harley shook her head.

“I have my duties,” she said simply. “Do regale me with tales of your visit once you come back, Lord Palom.”

“You _are_ coming back, right?” Edward asked.

“Of course!” said Leonora. “We promise to come back as soon as we learn about their magic.”

“Probably can’t spend too much time in there anyway,” Palom said. “Rydia is always going on about how time flows differently in the Feymarch.”

“These guards will escort you to Kaipo,” Edward said, and with a gesture three of his royal guard stepped forward. ...Maybe two and a half. One of them was the guard from earlier. Palom recognized him by the dimpled smile and dusty armor.

“One of you seems a little off,” Palom joked.

“I requested to accompany you, my lord!” he said, ever so cheerful. Palom knew a cheerful guy like that way back then. In fact…

“I know you, don’t I?” he asked, and the guard’s smile widened.

“Finally recognized me?” the guard teased.

_There was a knock on the door._

_“May I come in?” a voice Palom knew all too well asked from the other side._

_“King Edward!” the boy he had been chatting up yelled, jumping from the bed they’d been sharing to go answer the door. As expected, Edward was on the other side, wearing a beautiful silk nightgown rather than his kingly attire. The boy hugged him as soon as the door opened wide enough._

_“Good to see you too, Tom,” Edward said, patting him on the head. So his name was Tom? Palom didn’t even think to ask. Edward then turned to him. “Lord Palom,” he said politely._

_Palom liked when other people called him ‘lord.’ It made him feel important. No, wait! He was already important. Hearing it from a king made him feel even more important, though!_

_“What’s up?” Palom asked._

_“Oh, nothing,” Edward replied. “I merely came to check up on things. Are you taking good care of our guest, Tom?”_

_Tom giggled. The sound made something inside Palom flutter._

_“He’s funny,” Tom said, his face flushed. Palom wondered if he had a fever._

_Edward took Tom into his arms and carried him to bed, though instead of tucking him in or something like that, Edward plopped down on the bed himself without bothering to let go._

_“What about you, Lord Palom? I know you don’t like staying in this room.”_

_“You don’t?” Tom asked, looking hurt. Palom felt more panic in that moment than he had fighting even the most fearsome of monsters._

_“N-No! I mean, I do!” Palom scratched his head. “I thought someone as important as me should have his own room, b-but this one is fine. I get to talk to you here.”_

_Tom smiled at him. Palom smiled back. Edward pulled them both into a hug, which surprised Palom. It wasn’t bad though._

_“I am glad you found a friend here,” he said, “but you two should go to sleep.”_

_“Aw, but I wanna keep talking!” Palom complained._

_“I know, I know,” Edward said, smiling indulgently, “but Porom will scold you if you oversleep.”_

_Palom was about to say he didn’t care, but… somehow getting whacked on the head in front of Tom was an unpleasant idea._

_“Ok, fine,” he relented._

_“Tom, make sure he gets some sleep, all right?” Edward said, and Tom nodded._

_“I will!”_

_Edward tucked them both in before leaving. He promised to play something in the throne room that would help them sleep, which probably meant sad harp hours, but Tom didn’t seem to mind, so Palom didn’t complain either._

_“I guess we should go to sleep then,” Palom said._

_“I guess so,” said Tom, smiling broadly. Since they were sharing a bed, Tom reached out to Palom’s hand and squeezed it tight. “Good night, Palom.”_

_“Good..._ _Good night, Tom.”_

“Tom has been with us for many years now,” Edward said, bringing Palom out of his daydreams. “I believe one day he will join the royal guard for true.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness,” Tom said, all prim and proper, but his silly little smile betrayed his feelings.

“He’s gonna need better armor first,” Palom snarked, and Tom play punched him in the arm, laughing all the while.

“Um, before we leave...” Leonora said all of a sudden. “I do have one more question.”

“Yes?” prompted Edward.  
  
“Wh-Why is it that Harley and, um, Tom, refer to you as ‘Your Highness’ instead of ‘Your Majesty’? I noticed a few other guards doing it too. I’m sorry, but it’s been bothering me all this time.”

Whatever question Edward was expecting, it wasn’t that. Seeing the surprise on his face was priceless, as was seeing Harley flush with embarrassment. As it were, Palom actually knew the answer to this one, and he was all too happy to show off while they recovered.

"It's because they all met him when he was a prince. I'm guessing he never bothered to correct them, and it spread to the younger soldiers too."

“That’s right,” said Tom. “I mean, ‘Your Majesty’ just sounds weird now, you know?”

Harley cleared her throat. “If that’s everything,” she said, clearly worked up still, “you should get going. Do be careful crossing the desert. I do not wish for any of you to come down with the fever.”

Leonora nodded. “See you soon,” she said brightly.

And so, they departed from Damcyan Castle. Seeing the setting sun paint the castle red, Palom felt a strange sort of melancholy. He didn’t remember feeling so at home there before, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. Then again, he supposed it wasn’t so bad, having people that actually wanted you around, unpleasant personality and all.

Smiling, he raced to catch up with Leonora and Tom.


End file.
